The Mortal Instruments: City of Demons (Updated)
by MillenniumLint
Summary: A young Nephilim, Violet, is left confused after her father's disappearance. Some shocking revelations are made, one of them being the discovery of mastermind Valentine Morgenstern.
1. Prologue

Her heart was practically pounding out of her chest. Her lungs were crying for air, but still, she continued. She wouldn't stop. She _couldn't_ stop. She stumbled on a small rock and fell, scraping her hands and knees, then scrambling to get up again. Gasping for air, she finally rested in a small alley, concealed from plain view, despite the bright lights illuminating the city. Suddenly, a figure fell from the roof into a crouch right in front of her. As he straightened up, the city lights revealed enough of his face to become recognizable. _Jonathan_.

"Leave me alone," the girl said, still panting. "Why wont you leave me _alone_?"

"What are you afraid of? You promised," he said darkly.

"I didn't _promise_ you anything! I _told_ you to give me some time!" She took a few steps backward and felt the brick wall behind her.

"Well, your time is up, sweetheart," he replied with a wicked grin.

Jonathan reached for the sword concealed behind his back and slashed through the cool night air.


	2. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_**

"Okay, that was really good, except-"

Violet groaned loudly at her instructor, cutting him off. Finn groaned back at her mockingly. "I just want you to work on your accuracy. You're amazing, really, but you can still be better…"

"Alright, alright."

"Violet!" exclaimed Finn's sister, Audrey, as she ran into the training room.

"Later, Violet," said Finn as he exited the room to give the girls privacy. Audrey toyed with the equipment lying on a table in the room.

"So," she started, casually. "Are you going to be super lame and go home now or are you gonna choose the better alternative choice and hang out with me?"

Violet looked at her phone. It was only after seven, and she didn't plan on being home until around eleven.

"Yeah, sure," Violet agreed. "We could go to that one place you took me to that one time…"

"That _mundane_ establishment?" asked Audrey, the distaste clear in her voice. "I don't know, Vi. I could really go for the food at that Downworlder place down the street, ah, what's it called?"

"Did you just call me 'Vi'?"

Audrey shrugged, smiling.

"Right…anyway, Shadowhunter or not, I'm never getting used to this life. It's nice to get away from it all every once in a while. Not having to worry about whether some werewolf is gonna fight me for my food or something."

"You're so _boring_ , Violet. You need to live life on the dangerous side for once," Audrey complained.

"I just threw knives at a wall for two hours."

"Come _on_ ," Audrey pleaded. "There's this sick party downtown. Let's go to it. It'll be _fun_. There'll be Downworlders there and everything! Those Downworlders really know how to party..."

"Were you listening to a word I said?"

Audrey, unlike Violet, was a social butterfly basically wherever she went. Violet, on the other hand, didn't have many friends. She had Audrey and Finn to count on, but times like these made her feel guilty for holding Audrey back from having her fun.

"Alright," Violet agreed, reluctantly.

"Wait-really?" Audrey asked, surprised.

"Yeah…I'll go. I'm doing this for you, not me. You owe-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Both girls walked out of Audrey's large house-concealed with a glamour, so the normal people of New York City wouldn't notice anything out of place-and into the city they both knew so well.

As Violet and Audrey approached a large house, Violet couldn't stop herself from covering her ears, trying to filter out the loud music.

"Whose house is this?" she practically yelled.

"Some warlock named Bane. Magnus Bane."

"A warlock?"

Violet had never met a warlock before, and wasn't too thrilled about getting that close to one. Audrey knocked on the door and a man in black opened it.

"Come on," said Audrey, looking back at Violet.

Even though she was born Nephilim, Violet's parents insisted she grow up like a mundane. She still started her training on time, but was still very naïve to the supernatural world. She didn't even know that much about her own kind. As soon as the girls walked in, Audrey saw some faerie people she knew and danced her way through the party, waving her fingers to Violet as she left. Violet stood there speechlessly, not knowing what to do, when someone caught her eye. A _boy_ someone. Violet quickly looked away and walked over to the bar, grabbing a dark purple drink.

"Don't drink that," chimed Audrey, suddenly at her side. "Unless you wanna end up like _them_." Audrey pointed to some other teenagers across the room: a brunet boy, a worried expression on his face, a drunk brunette girl that resembled the boy, a blond boy with a smirk on his face, and a girl with fiery red hair searching under the counter frantically.

"What…" Violet started, looking for Audrey, but realized she was gone. Sighing, Violet turned back around to look at the teenagers, but found someone else instead. The same boy was on the opposite side of the room looking at her. Just _staring._ When he caught her attention, he smiled this huge smile and finally approached her.

"Hello. Sorry to bother you, but I noticed you were alone. You look frightened. Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I came with my friend, but she wandered off somewhere. I'm not very good with parties."

The boy held out his hand. "I'm Sebastian Verlac."

Violet carefully took his hand and immediately felt uneasy. She frowned for a second, but immediately forced a smile to reappear, ignoring the feeling. "Violet."

"Oh, like your eyes. I get it."

"I've never heard that one before." The frequent sarcasm in her voice was showing.

Sebastian smiled again. His smile was friendly, yet mysterious at the same time. It was at that moment where Violet began to take in his appearance. He was tall and had the type of posture that would trick anyone into believing he'd never experienced an embarrassment in his life. His eyes were a dark color she couldn't quite identify, nearly black. And his hair, that's what really caught her attention. It almost completely covered his eyes and was the color of charcoal, curling near his neck from the length. She couldn't help but think this guy was really sketchy. But then again, Violet didn't like many people in general.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but I should go. I'll see you around," said Violet, quickly becoming nervous.

"Yeah," Sebastian said after she walked away. "You will."

"Vi, that guy you were talking to… _totally_ hot," Audrey commented as the girls returned to Audrey's house.

"I don't know, Audrey. He's kind of creepy," Violet responded, shivering at the memory of shaking his hand.

"Okay, first of all, you think all Nephilim boys are creepy…except for maybe my brother. He's about as threatening as a goldfish. Second of all, he's definitely mega-gorgeous. How did you end up talking to _him_? No offense, or anything. It's just…well, you're the most antisocial person I've ever met."

"I don't know. He just came up to me and started talking. I caught him staring at me when we walked in. He had this look on his face, like he was gonna attack me or something.."

"Oh my God! He's totally into you! You gave him your number, right?"

 _God_. Audrey was practically peeing with excitement.

"Absolutely not. I told you, the dude is a creep. Looking into my eyes and stuff."

"Well? You were looking into _his_ , weren't you?"

Violet began playing with her hands, clearly uncomfortable. Audrey laughed at her friend as they finally approached her house.

"Do you want me to send Finn out? He can give you a ride. It's his turn to use the car. And I'm too tired to drive," Audrey said, yawning.

Violet looked at her phone for what must've been the sixth time that night. _1:00 AM._ She swore under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Audrey asked, a bit of concern in her voice.

"I told Ash I would be home early. Yeah, you should send Finn out. It would be a lot quicker than walking. I wanna talk to him anyway."

"Alright. I'll see you later. Be careful. I hear the Night's Children are feeding tonight."

"Ha-ha, very funny, Audrey."

Audrey shut the door and Violet waited patiently for her other best friend, Finn, to come outside. At least five minutes had passed before Finn finally came out, car keys in hand.

"Sorry, I had to talk to Audrey. Mom got mad because I didn't know where you guys were and she didn't tell me anything," Finn said, starting the car.

"Sounds like someone's mad he wasn't invited," Violet teased, nudging Finn with her elbow.

Finn shook his head incredulously as he started the car. "I'm guessing you didn't know, then. She wasn't supposed to go to that party."

Violet was silent again. Silence worked for her. "I had no idea," she finally said.

"I don't know why she does these things. She just does whatever she wants even though everyone else knows what's good for her. You're a good influence on her. Even if you _did_ go to that party with her."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't wanna go to that party anyway."

Finn raised one eyebrow, as he did whenever he was curious, Violet noticed. "Then why did you let her drag you there?" he asked.

"Because…I don't know. I just like seeing her happy. Whenever she begs me to do something, she makes this face…It's like, you can't say no to _that_ …"

"She perfected that face when she turned four. You learn to ignore it with time. In fact, now I ignore most of what she says."

Violet laughed. Finn and Audrey were almost complete opposites. While Audrey loved to party and have fun, Finn was there when Violet just wanted to talk. He read a lot; it was his favorite thing to do next to fighting demons. Violet admired that about him. It made being friends with both of them easier. When Violet wanted to be serious, she talked to Finn, and when she didn't want to think at all, she talked to Audrey. It was that simple. Talking to them _together_ , however, was challenging. Their interests conflicted each other. The good news was that they both seemed to enjoy her company as much as she enjoyed theirs. Finn pulled the car into Violet's driveway.

"Thanks for the ride, Finn."

"No problem. I wasn't gonna let you walk home alone. The Night's Children are feeding tonight."

"Audrey was _serious_?"

Finn laughed. "Don't feel bad. No one takes her seriously." He grinned, then his expression changed to something Violet couldn't quite identify. Finn's expression turned back into a smaller grin before Violet could say anything about it. "I'll see you soon, Vi."

"Not you, too."

"Tell Asher I said hi," he added as Violet shut the car door.

Violet walked into her apartment, prepared for the wrath of her brother, but found him already sleeping on the couch, likely waiting for her to come home. As much as she didn't want to, she decided to leave her brother a note on the kitchen table, explaining herself. She knew he would appreciate it. After draping a blanket over Asher, she walked quietly into her room and fell asleep almost immediately after lying down.


	3. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

 _As the demon advanced towards Violet, she stepped in reverse, taking out her seraph blade, but was too slow. The demon struck in her direction, but Violet leaped to the side just in time, rolling on the ground, somehow managing to lose her blade in the process. Panicking, Violet kept her eyes on the demon, preparing to dodge the next strike, when a woman tore through the demon with her own weapon, instantly killing it. Her mother ran over to Violet, kneeling down next to her, when another demon made its way over and struck her. Violet sat, frozen with terror, the warning stuck in her throat._

Violet gasped, rising quickly. She looked around the room, realizing that she had only been dreaming. Violet's dreams always meant something. She couldn't help but fear that something horrible was going to happen. Violet put a hand to her forehead and noticed that she broke a sweat. It wasn't until she began dry heaving, crouched on her bed, when she realized how much the nightmare had affected her. It had felt so _real_. It _was_ real. Suddenly feeling someone kneeling next to her, Violet lifted her head.

"Violet," Asher said, concerned. "Are you alright? You don't look too good…"

Violet continued to pant, unable to compose herself.

"Do you need some water or something?" he asked, already rising to make a trip to the kitchen. Violet grabbed at his arm.

"It's just-just a-bad dream. Sorry to s-scare you." Violet's breathing finally began to slow. Asher sat on the bed next to her and put his arm around his sister.

"Don't apologize. I heard you in here, so I thought I should check on you. Are you gonna be okay?" he asked her, still concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just don't have nightmares that often."

"It happens. Don't worry about it. Do you want some breakfast? Food always takes my mind off of the bad stuff."

"Ash, no offense, but your cooking is awful."

"We're going _out_ for breakfast. And screw you," Asher said, elbowing her. "Dress nice."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your boyfriend's coming." Realizing that he was referring to Finn, Violet threw a pillow at her brother, and he caught it easily, anticipating the attack. He laughed and walked out of the room to let her dress, closing the door behind him, but not before he threw the pillow back at her. She ducked before it could reach her face. Strangely, though, Asher was right. Violet _did_ like Finn. They certainly weren't a couple, but she liked him. A _lot_. After showering, Violet was surprised to see Audrey sitting on her bed, sorting outfits from the closet.

"You know, I really need to take you to the mall. You can seriously do better."

"Audrey!" Violet exclaimed, still surprised.

"What?" Audrey responded, as if she did nothing out of the ordinary.

"You could've _said_ something when you came in! I could've walked out of the bathroom naked!"

"But you _didn't_ ," Audrey pointed out, grinning.

Violet sighed in resignation, retrieved the outfit set out by Audrey, and walked back into the bathroom. It wasn't even a date. Apparently _everyone_ knew about her feelings for Finn. Everyone except for Finn. But Violet was perfectly okay with that.

The Frisbee sailed through the air and Finn jumped to catch it. As a result of jumping _too_ high, the Frisbee hit Finn directly in the eye. Unhurt, except for in pride, Finn fell into the grass, tired. Violet ran over to him, laughing, and fell into the grass next to him, lying on her back. Giggling, Audrey pushed Asher in the other direction, giving the two time to talk. The teens had spent the entire day in the city, and were spending the evening at the park. The sun was just starting to set, and Finn looked at the sky, admiring the colors. Finn seemed to appreciate the little things in life, Violet had decided recently. Finn looked in Violet's direction. "Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees the cloud that's shaped like Asher's weird birthmark," he said.

Violet laughed. Finn was still looking at her. He had the weird expression on his face again. Violet was opening her mouth to ask about it when she noticed someone walking towards them. She sat up, noticing the boy's dark hair. It was Sebastian again.

"Violet," he greeted her.

"Hi," she said, sitting up. "Sebastian, what are you doing here?"

Finn sat up, looking at Sebastian. He raised his eyebrow. "Violet, you know this guy?" he asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry for being rude. My name is Sebastian. I met Violet at Magnus Bane's party the other night. I saw you while I was walking through the park and thought I would say hello."

"Finn, do you think you could give us a minute?" Violet asked, impatiently.

"Um, sure…" Finn said, uncertain whether he should actually leave this stranger alone with her or not. He decided to trust that Violet knew him well enough and ran to catch up with Audrey and Asher.

"You didn't have to tell him to-"

"What exactly is it that you want from me?" Violet asked, her voice rising in volume.

"Excuse me?" Sebastian asked, confused.

"At the party…you were just _staring_ at me. And now…now you just show up out of nowhere. I don't even _know_ you."

"Well, I just think you're beautiful," Sebastian said, smiling.

It was Violet's turn to be confused. "What?" she asked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

"You're beautiful," he repeated. "Do you want to take a walk with me?"

Violet looked around the park for her friends, but found no one. Looking back at Sebastian, she sighed. "Sure," she said finally, not wanting to reject his offer. "But in the future, most girls don't enjoy being stalked. I'm getting a lot of creepy vibes from you."

Sebastian grinned, then Violet started walking in the direction Finn went, Sebastian falling into stride next to her.

"So, what were you doing here at the park?" Violet asked after a few minutes of silence. She was genuinely curious.

"Well, I'm staying with a close relative-I live in Idris-and I was looking for a shortcut home. I don't really know my way around New York yet. I was on my way when I saw you with your friends, so I walked over, hoping you would remember me."

"How long have you been in New York?"

"A few weeks. I'm going back to Alicante pretty soon, though. I'll be staying with the Penhallows."

"What happened to your parents?" Violet asked, noticing that he didn't mention a mother or father.

"Dead."

"Mine, too."

"Really?" Sebastian asked, sounding intrigued.

"Well, my mom is. My dad went missing around the same time she died. We don't know what happened to him. So, now it's just my brother and I."

Violet couldn't read his expression. She looked ahead and saw Finn sitting under a tree, waiting for her. "I should go," Violet said. "It was nice to see you, Sebastian."

"Oh, wait-" Sebastian said as Violet went to the tree. "Can I call you sometime?"

Violet was hesitant. Sighing, mostly with annoyance towards herself for being unable to reject him, Violet took out her cell phone and handed it to Sebastian. Sebastian took out his and gave it to Violet, allowing her to add her phone number to his contacts.

"Look, I really need to go…" Violet said after giving him his phone back.

Sebastian returned her phone and Violet ran over to the tree, leaving Sebastian standing alone.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

"Orange juice…eggs…expired milk…" listed Asher one night, examining the contents of the small fridge. "We really need to shop for food. I think we have a few cans of chowder somewhere…"

There was a knock at the door.

"Lucky for you," Violet said, "I ordered takeout." She got up from her comfortable spot on the couch and crossed the room to open the door.

"Did somebody order Kung Pao?" asked Audrey enthusiastically, holding up Chinese takeout. Smiling, Asher walked over to help Audrey with the bags, Violet letting her inside.

"Thanks for picking up the food, Audrey," said Violet, grabbing plastic cups and soda for the teens. Finn walked into the apartment, tossing his car keys on the kitchen table. He was holding another bag, filled with his sci-fi movies from home. Violet was going to make a remark about how much of a nerd Finn was, when suddenly, her phone began to ring.

"Who is it?" Asher asked, curious.

"Sebastian."

"Who?"

"You have to answer it, Violet! He's probably calling to confess his love to you. Take my advice for once, will you?" Audrey squealed.

Violet hesitated, then answered it. "H-Hello?"

 _"Violet?"_ he said.

"Yeah, it's me," Violet responded sheepishly. "Speaking?" Violet reached up and tugged at her hair in frustration. She really said stupid things when she was nervous. _You have caller ID, you idiot,_ Violet thought angrily.

 _"Hey, I was just wondering…what are you doing tomorrow?"_

Shoot. She wasn't expecting that so soon.

"Nothing that I know of."

 _"Do you think you'd maybe want to…go into the city with me? I haven't been around New York much…"_ Sebastian suggested.

Violet looked in the direction of her friends.

"Say yes," Audrey mouthed, even though Violet was sure she had no idea what Sebastian had said.

"Sure," Violet responded after a long pause.

 _"Great,"_ said Sebastian. _"I'll see you tomorrow."_

Violet hung up the phone anxiously.

"What was that all about?" Finn asked.

"Let's watch some movies," Violet said cheerfully, ignoring Finn's question.

Violet sat up, sleepily. It had to have been afternoon already. Violet looked around her and saw Finn and Audrey, still sleeping, on opposite sides of her. Asher was lying on the couch. Violet looked down at her phone and saw that Sebastian had called her. Standing up, careful not to wake anyone, she went to her room to change out of her pajamas. Combing her dark hair with her fingers, she called Sebastian.

 _"Violet!"_ she heard his voice say cheerfully over the phone.

"Hey, yeah, sorry for missing your calls. I was up late last night…I was still sleeping…"

 _"It's alright. I was just calling to ask what time you wanted me to come get you."_

"Oh! Um, well I'm ready now…"

 _"Where do you live?"_

"There's an apartment building a few blocks away from the Institute. I'll meet you outside."

 _"Okay, I'll see you soon, Violet."_

Violet felt very nervous. She left a note to the others, explaining where she went, and walked outside to the bright afternoon sun. She heard footsteps and turned to her right to see Sebastian.

"Wow, you walk pretty fast," she said, jokingly.

Sebastian laughed lightly. He reached out his hand and Violet took it. He really _was_ attractive, Violet decided, remembering what Audrey had said about him. Both of the teens then walked into the bright city together, hand in hand.

Violet walked back into her apartment happily. She really enjoyed her so-called "date" with Sebastian, as Violet knew Audrey would call it.

After closing the door behind her, she turned around, finding Audrey standing in front of her. Violet covered her mouth, stifling a scream. "You really need to stop doing that. That whole 'let's randomly appear in front of Violet, unannounced' thing." Violet said, trying to slow her heartbeat.

"How was your date? Tell me everything!" Audrey squealed.

"It wasn't a date," Violet said, expecting Audrey's reaction.

"Boy asks for your number, check. Boy calls you, check. Boy picks you up, check. Boy kisses you, check."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, he did _not_ kiss me."

"Whatever, it was still a date."

Violet sighed and sat on the couch.

"Well, do you _wanna_ kiss him?"

If Audrey was one thing, she was persistent.

"Is that an actual question? Because I don't know if I feel comfortable answering that…"

"Well, did he _try_ to kiss you?"

"Audrey…"

"Come on, you can't blame the guy for trying. I know you wanna kiss him, too. Next time, just-"

"Audrey!"

"What? It's not my fault you're in denial…"

"AUDREY!"

Audrey looked in the direction Violet was pointing in. Her look of frustration was quickly replaced with a look of horror as she looked out the window. The girls quickly grabbed weapons from the wall and ran out the door, into the street ahead.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Although Audrey was extremely girly and not the brightest at times, she really knew how to fight demons. " _Eremiel,_ " she said, naming her seraph blade and killing the closest demon she could find.

Violet, finding Sebastian nearby, lying on the ground, took out her stele, previously belonging to her mother, and carved an iratze into his arm. She then clumsily moved his body away from the fight and into her apartment to heal, away from the action. Violet and Audrey had rushed outside to find both Asher and Sebastian fighting a horde of demons near the apartment. Sebastian had just gotten hurt when the girls arrived. Violet reluctantly left Sebastian, kissing his cheek, and made it back outside when Finn arrived, killing a demon that almost struck Asher from behind. All four of the teens were fighting the demons, when suddenly, they all abandoned the fight. Shocked, Violet turned and entered the apartment to check on Sebastian. She found him sitting up on the couch, looking out of the window.

Violet sat down next to Sebastian, taking his hand. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah," he answered. "Are you?"

"I'm fine, but…what happened out there? When I came inside the apartment, everything was fine. Then, all of a sudden, you and my brother were out there being attacked by demons…"

Sebastian looked at Violet, suddenly close to her face. "They're after me."

"The _demons_?" Violet asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Kind of," Sebastian admitted.

"What makes you think that?"

Sebastian looked uncomfortable.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Violet asked, frowning. "You can tell me, Sebastian. What's going on?"

"Do you know anything about the Circle of Raziel?" Sebastian asked, carefully.

"Yeah…they tried to overthrow the Clave."

"Correct."

"But what does that have to do with-"

"Well, you know the leader of the Circle? Valentine Morgenstern?"

"Yeah. He died after the Uprising."

"No. He didn't."

Violet was confused.

"He's looking for something. I don't exactly know _what_ , but he thinks I know something. He's after me."

"How do you know all of this?" Violet asked, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.

"I came to New York to figure out what it is he wants. He found me once before. He told me everything, which wasn't very smart on his part."

Violet sat there, taking all of the information in. Then the realization hit her. Her skin began to pale. "Do you know where Valentine Morgenstern is?" Violet asked him. He nodded. Violet quickly stood up, went to her room, and changed her clothes. She came out wearing her fighting gear when Audrey, Asher, and Finn finally came back inside the apartment.

"What's going on?" Finn asked, seeing Violet in her tight black clothing, dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail.

Violet walked over to the wall and filled her belt with weapons. Then, she tucked her mother's stele into the top of her boot. "It's time to use that training you've been helping me with," she said confidently, turning around.

"What are you talking about?" asked Asher, still confused.

"I know what happened to our father."


	6. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

"Now, he's going to be expecting us. He'll likely have dozens of Forsaken surrounding the area to keep us away. The best way to do this is to split up. I'll take Violet," said Sebastian as the teens sat in the back of Finn's van, now all dressed in gear and applying marks to their bodies. "The rest of you should stay behind to fight."

Finn looked uncertain, but said nothing, while Audrey and Asher agreed with the plan. "Where exactly are we going?" he finally asked, still driving.

"Renwick's Ruin," Sebastian responded.

"That's so close by…" Finn said, trying to mentally map out a way to get there undetected. "I'm gonna park in this alley over here…we need to go the rest of the way on foot."

The group gathered their weapons and got out of Finn's van, looking at their surroundings in the dark. Violet could already see the ruins of an abandoned hospital. Tearing away the glamour with her eyes, she could see the castle-like structure ahead of them. Sebastian led the others through the alley, toward the building, cautiously. He had been right. There was a demonic presence nearby.

" _Taharial_ ," Asher whispered. A dim light radiated from Taharial, providing a light source in the dark alley. Audrey took out her witch light, the white light shining between her fingers.

The teens had almost made it to the chain-link fence when they all felt something approaching. Asher, Audrey, and Finn quickly ran to investigate, while Violet took out her stele from the inside of her boot and carved a rune into the fence to unlock it. She stood still, suddenly fearful of whatever was ahead of them. Sebastian nodded encouragingly, then started in the direction of the building, Violet following closely behind.


	7. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6_**

Jonathan reached for the sword concealed behind his back and slashed through the night air. She quickly dodged the attack and grabbed a shard of glass from the ground, the only weapon she could find.

"Look, you can either cooperate and go see my father like I so kindly asked of you days ago, or I can just get the information from you right here. I guarantee, you won't enjoy the latter," Jonathan said.

"What do you need to know?" asked the girl, testing him.

"Where is Jocelyn Fairchild?"

"What makes you think I-"

 _"Don't pretend you don't know anything," Jonathan said, suddenly pointing his sword at her menacingly. "I already know you're Dorothea's goddaughter. She helped you after you Turned. Dorothea knows Jocelyn very well. You know where Jocelyn is._ Tell _me."_

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, defiantly.

Jonathan was suddenly at her side, quicker than any human she'd ever seen move, and had the sword to her throat. "Look, I don't have time for games. I have a deadline. Tell me where she is."

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged."

"This way," Sebastian said, pulling Violet into a hallway leading into a lit room. Violet and Sebastian were pressed against the wall, concealed in the dark. Violet had been so concerned with trying to save her dad that she failed to notice that she didn't have much of a plan regarding what would happen after actually _finding_ Valentine.

Violet looked at Sebastian, but Sebastian was looking straight forward. Finally, Sebastian turned, leaning closer to Violet. "I'm going in," he whispered.

Before she could protest, Sebastian had already darted inside of the room, unnoticed. Violet took out a knife, not really knowing what else to do. Switching sides of the hall, she inched closer to the door frame, trying to listen to what was going on inside of the room, with great difficulty. A minute passed before she finally heard multiple screams, one of them her father's, coming from the room. That was all it took for her. Violet ran into the room, ready to attack whoever was behind the torture. She stopped as soon as she saw them. Her father was in a corner, runes on the floor binding him to one small square of the room; Sebastian was lying on the floor, unconscious. Valentine Morgenstern was standing across from her, a smirk on his face.

"What did you do to him?" Violet asked angrily, looking from him to Sebastian on the floor. Suddenly, Sebastian opened his eyes. He was chuckling as he got up and walked across the room. And he stood next to Valentine.

"Asher," Finn said, keeping his eye on a demon coming towards him.

"Yeah?" Asher responded, killing another demon.

"I need your help with something. You, too, Audrey."

"What is it? I'm kind of busy here," Audrey replied, dodging an attack.

"We need to give up on the demons. There are too many of them. We need to go help Violet."

"What are you talking about? Violet went in with her hot boyfriend," Audrey replied, smirking despite the situation.

Finn frowned for a second, then said, "Sebastian can't be trusted."

Now, Asher was confused. "What are you getting at, lover boy?"

"Violet is in danger. I can't explain now, but we need to get into that building," Finn said, gaining his composure after blushing slightly.

"Okay, even if you _are_ right about Sebastian," Audrey started, "we're kind of stuck here. These demons won't let up. It seems like the numbers just keep growing larger."

"I have a plan, but you might not like it. You're gonna have to trust me on this one."

"What is it?"

"A firework."

"A what?"

"A _firework_ ," Finn explained, exasperated. "You know, those really loud, bright things that explode when you-"

"I _know_ what a firework is, you useless, white crayon. What's your plan?"

"I have a firework in the back of the van. It will give us time to run. The light probably won't be bright enough to kill these demons, but enough to burn them. After they're distracted, we're gonna make a run for it. Dart inside of the place. We'll figure it out from there."

"Nerd," Asher listed, "tech geek, Shadowhunter…now you're a pyromaniac, too? I don't know about your plan, Finn. It's pretty risky."

"It's worth a try. Keep them busy."

"Absolutely not," Audrey said, dodging the attack of a demon near her. Another demon appeared behind her and she ducked, narrowly missing a blow that would have surely knocked her out. "Okay, fine, fine. Just make it quick."

Finn ran through the alley and back to his van, opening the door. Retrieving the single firework, he came up with an idea. Taking out his stele, he carved a fire rune into the side of the firework, putting his heart into it and praying his sudden plan would work. Finishing the rune, he ran through the alley, back to Audrey and Asher.

"I'm going to count to three," Finn shouted. "Then you run. I'll catch up."

Audrey paused. "Wait, are we running _on_ three, or-"

"One," Finn started, ignoring his sister and positioning the firework. "Two."

"Get ready," Asher yelled to Audrey, killing another demon, then moving towards her.

" _Three._ "

Asher grabbed Audrey's hand and pulled her towards the building, both of them running as fast as they could. Finn lit the firework, the rune turning white. Finn crossed his fingers, hoping his spontaneous plan would work. The firework shot into the sky and cast a light so bright that it lit the entire sky.

" _By the Angel_ ," Finn whispered to himself in awe.

He quickly ran towards the building as the demons screeched in pain at their burning flesh.


	8. Chapter 7

**_Chapter 7_**

Violet's heart was pounding hard against her chest. She glanced at her father. He had a look in his eyes that showed her how much he had been suffering. It nearly broke her heart.

Violet's stance wavered, but still she stood in front of the men, not wanting to show how vulnerable she was in that moment. "What's going on?" Violet asked, her voice steady. "Sebastian…"

Sebastian arrogantly strode over to Violet, brushing his fingertips over her cheek. "You don't have to call me that anymore," he said, smiling wickedly.

"Would you prefer 'my one and only love'?" Violet asked sarcastically, using the same tone with him, suddenly feeling extremely stupid for trusting this boy. She should've trusted her gut feeling before she got herself into this mess. "Or maybe you'd like 'worthless piece of-'"

"Tsk, tsk, your father here wouldn't like you using that kind of language," Sebastian said, cutting her off.

Violet took a few steps back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you care to explain what's going on?" she asked, the malice clear in her voice now. "Or do you expect me to figure it all out on my own? Enlighten me, Shadowhunter. Your name isn't really Sebastian, is it? What's your _real_ name?" Violet couldn't believe that she had actually trusted this guy. How could she let that happen?

"As tempting as that offer sounds," he said, smiling wickedly. "I'll spare you the trouble of connecting the dots. My name is Jonathan. Jonathan _Morgenstern_." He glanced up at his father who was looking at his son intently.

"Okay, that explains some things. Well, _most_ things, actually. I have a question, though. Besides the fact that you voluntarily revealed where my father was being held," Violet said, putting the pieces of the puzzle together, "why am I standing in front of you right now? You could've snatched any angst-filled teenaged Nephilim's parents. Why me? Assuming the whole 'Valentine wants something magical so he can exterminate more people because he can' story was a lie…"

"Just to clarify," Valentine spoke for the first time. "I'm not exterminating _everyone_. Just those who do not remain loyal to the Circle of Raziel. It's God's work."

"The same Circle that tried to get rid of the _Nephilim_. And spoiler alert, no one is loyal to the Circle except for yourself and the sidekick," Violet said, impatiently.

" _Anyway_ ," Jonathan continued, glaring at the two for interrupting his moment of glory. "That part wasn't a lie. Dmitri here has some valuable information, but he's not spilling, so we're using you for a little bit of encouragement. We're probably not going to need you very long. You should be able to go back to your _other_ boyfriend pretty soon, depending how your father plans on playing this."

"He's not my-never mind. This isn't a very good tactic if you're still trying to get information. It just looks like you're trying to torture him a lot. Since you're such a bad villain now, I need you to explain some other stuff. The demon attack?"

"Fake," Jonathan said. "That was so I could get you to come here. To gain your to trust me. I was convincing, wasn't I?"

"I don't think that's how it works. I get it if your dad sent the demons, but you can't just stage a demon attack…"

"They didn't attack me," Jonathan started, "because their blood runs in my veins. I control them."

"Should we split up?" Asher asked, thoughtfully, looking around the large room the teens had just entered. Finn furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. Audrey wandered to the other side of the room, examining something on the walls. What she had assumed were runes, were actually various symbols. She turned around and found a rune on the floor, near one of the two hallways in the room. _"In Hoc Signo Vinces,_ " she said aloud. Finn looked up at this, abandoning his reverie of deep thought. "What did you say?" he asked her, anxiously.

 _"_ The rune on the floor. _In Hoc Signo Vinces_. That sounds important."

"'By this sign, we will conquer'" Finn translated, his eyes widening. Finn then turned to Asher. "Yeah, you're right, Asher. We should split up. I'm gonna check to see what's down this hallway. I think you guys should go down the other one."

"Finn…" Audrey started, hesitantly.

" _Asmodei_ ," said Finn, taking out a short seraph blade, examining its light casually. "Yeah?"

Audrey suddenly ran over to her brother and hugged him. "Be careful," she said quietly. "I don't know what we're up against."

Finn let go of Audrey and gripped his weapon tightly. "Me neither. Let's go."

Asher and Audrey came together and both retreated into their assigned dark hallway, leaving Finn to enter the remaining one alone.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

It took Violet a second to comprehend what Jonathan had just told her. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized how dangerous the two men truly were. The situation was a lot worse than she had anticipated.

Carefully, keeping her eyes on the men, she walked over to her father and kneeled next to him, as close as she could get to the runes on the floor, hoping for an explanation. "Dad?" she whispered, looking into his eyes, searching for any sign of physical pain, misery, or overall insanity.

"Violet, listen to me carefully. I need you to get out of here. You're in danger," her father said, so quiet that only Violet could hear.

"No, I'm not leaving without you," Violet argued.

"You don't understand, Violet."

"I don't care. I've thought you were dead for months now. I'm getting you out of here."

Suddenly, something in the corner of the room had caught Violet's attention. Audrey was in the corner of the room, concealed behind a bookshelf, unnoticed by Jonathan or Valentine. Audrey gave Violet a look that could only mean one thing. _Distract them._

Violet took her knife out again and approached Valentine slowly. "What do you want with my father?" she asked.

"I am looking," said Valentine, "for Jocelyn Fairchild."

Violet knew that name. Her father had mentioned Jocelyn before. They were good friends for a long time before she had left the Circle and disappeared from Idris.

Violet tried to stall. "What does this Jocelyn Fairchild have to do with my father? This is ridiculous!"

Asher darted into the room and hid next to Audrey.

"He's trying to protect her," Jonathan started, "from us."

"Why do you need Jocelyn Fairchild? Did your father promote you up to the "preying on innocent women" stage?"

"I don't think that is any of your concern, little girl," Valentine interjected.

Asher and Audrey were whispering.

Violet glanced over at her father. "Dad?"

"Jocelyn Fairchild was married to Valentine. He's looking for the Mortal Instruments and suspects she has one of them."

The Mortal Instruments? Violet knew she had heard of them before. She made a mental note to ask Finn about them later. If she could get out of this alive.

"Oh, I don't suspect it. I know it. And I know you know where she is, so I suggest you confess now," Valentine said.

Violet's father just stared at Valentine.

"Jonathan," Valentine said, quietly.

Faster than anyone she'd ever seen, Jonathan was behind Violet, holding the sword to her throat. Asher and Audrey then ran over to attack, weapons in hands.


	10. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9_**

 _"Jonathan," she started, "look, I don't wanna hurt you. If you let me go now, I'll just forget this ever happened…"_

Jonathan said nothing, still holding the sword to her throat.

 _Suddenly, a large animal was on top of Jonathan, defending her. A_ werewolf. _A pack of the wolves rushed over, prepared to attack. Quickly, Jonathan got away, knowing he couldn't fight an entire pack of werewolves alone. The werewolves shifted to their human forms and approached her._

"You don't have pack," the leader of the pack started, "do you?"

She shook her head sadly. She was afraid of the consequences of not having a pack, but was still trying to figure herself out. She had only first Turned a few months ago.

"What's your name?"

"Maia Roberts."


	11. Chapter 10

**_Chapter 10_**

Creeping slowly down the dark hallway, Finn held up Asmodei, lighting up a path for him to follow. He stopped in front of a door with the same symbols from the floor.

" _In Hoc Signo Vinces_ ," Finn recited, under his breath. It was _so_ familiar. What is it? Cautiously, he opened the door to the room, weapon in hand, prepared for whatever was ahead. Entering the room slowly, Finn immediately noticed the weapons in the room. Upon closer examination, he realized that the runes on the handles were not angelic, but demonic. In the corner of the room, a black bow next to a set of arrows caught his attention.

Finn took the bow off of the rack and twirled it between his fingers. Slowly, he took out his stele and traced a pattern on the handle of the bow. The simple rune of angelic power, the first of all Shadowhunters, became visible on the handle. The bow changed in color from black to gold.

Slinging the bow and the bag of arrows over his shoulder, Finn walked to the other side of the room, examining the desk. On the desk lay a single black and white photo. The photo captured a group of Nephilim around his age. Finn noticed that one of the teenagers looked very familiar to him. Arm around a girl, a man with very pale hair stood, seemingly the leader. He looked just like… _Sebastian._ But he couldn't be Sebastian. Finn knew that for sure. This man had to be Valentine Morgenstern. And the rest of the teenagers had to have been the original Circle of Raziel, Finn realized. This photograph confirmed what he had already believed true.

Finn put the photo down and began to look through the drawers. The first one he opened held a single box. _Unlocked._ Finn took out the box and warily opened it. The box contained sheets of paper. Finn read them quickly, knowing his time in the office was drawing to an end. Finn heard a loud noise from the other side of the building. Startled, he returned the box to its previous spot and quickly ran out of the room.

Hearing the movement from the other side of the room, the Morgenstern men both turned to find Asher just a few feet away. Quickly, Jonathan pushed Violet to the floor and ran towards Asher with the sword. Audrey slashed her seraph blade in Valentine's direction with no luck.

Violet took this opportunity to crawl to her father and free him. She took out her stele and carved at the surface of the wooden floor, hoping to disfigure the runes enough to free him. Valentine noticed and flung a knife from his belt in their direction. Asher yelled a warning, with Jonathan on top of him, and both Violet and her father moved out of the way in time.

Violet grabbed the knife, leaving an indentation in the floor. She made eye contact with Audrey and both of them attacked Valentine together. Valentine dodged Violet's attack and swung at Audrey. Audrey fell to the floor a few feet away, knocked out cold. Asher looked at Violet helplessly while pinned to the floor by Jonathan.

"Well, crap," he said quietly.

"Any ideas, Ash?" Violet asked so quietly that only he could hear.

"Nope."

"Dorothea." It was Dmitri who spoke suddenly.

"What?" Valentine asked, shocked.

"Madame Dorothea," he repeated. He didn't say anything else.

"The mundane running that old shop in the city?" asked Jonathan, clearly confused. Their father said nothing more.


	12. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

Finn rushed across the building, following the source of the sound he heard previously. He stopped in front of a large wooden door, slightly ajar. Finn leaned towards the door to hear the voices behind it. He heard the voice he was listening for. He knew it so well. It belonged to Violet.

Looking through the opening, Finn saw Violet's father in a corner, unable to move, staring straight ahead. Someone else was in the room. The figure was standing in front of an open window, glass reflecting his white-blond hair. He couldn't see the figure's face, but Finn had assumed that the man was Valentine Morgenstern. He couldn't walk through that way. They would surely notice him coming in. But he needed to get in there fast.

Quietly, Finn continued down the hallway and entered the room next door. He walked across the room and stopped in front of the window. It was the only way. Quickly, Finn opened the window and jumped out of it.

"Now tell me, Mr. Bellefleur," started Valentine, "why you're risking your life for a woman that I'll surely find in the end?"

"If you're so confident you're gonna find her, obviously we wouldn't be here right now, would we?" Violet retorted.

"Dad," Asher pleaded, "why won't you just tell him?"

"Because he values his relationships. I could only guess a lack of that value is the cause of Valentine here looking for her in the first place," Violet said, before her father could answer.

Asher shook his head in frustration. "Violet, will you _please_ just shut up for two seconds?"

"I don't know where the Mortal Cup is," Dmitri said instead.

"Wait, wait, wait," Violet said, confusion in her voice. "All of this is just for some mug of death? Surely, you're overreacting."

"The Mortal Cup is one of the three holy objects," Asher reminded her.

"I know you don't know where the Cup is. Stop stalling," Jonathan demanded.

Violet glanced over at Audrey. Her body was entirely still except for her fingers. She was communicating to Violet. But _how_?

Violet realized that bizarrely, Audrey was using basic _sign language_ to tell her without alerting the others: _I good. He will come._

With perfect timing, an arrow sailed through the room and into Jonathan's leg.

 _Finn._ He came to her rescue after all.

"Jesus, Finn, it's about time!" yelled Asher.

Quickly, Asher pushed Jonathan off of him, swiftly turned, and was behind him with a knife to his throat. Before Valentine could turn around, Finn was already through the window and prepared to attack with Asmodei. Valentine dodged the attack, hitting a nearby wall.

Audrey quickly sat up and threw a knife from her belt in Valentine's direction, resting in his shoulder. Howling in pain, he fell to the ground. Finally, Violet finished altering the runes around her father, freeing him. Immediately, Dmitri strode over to Valentine, positioning a sword at his chest.

"Give me one reason that I shouldn't kill you right now," he said. Before Valentine could answer, the demons from outside, Finn guessed, were approaching the door.

"Jonathan, I swear to God…" Violet warned, pulling out her own seraph blade. " _Jophiel_ ," she said, scowling at the demon boy.

"I seriously thought I got rid of them all!" Finn exclaimed.

"So, is it going to be fight or flight this time?" Audrey asked.

"We can't fight them all," said Asher. "There are more outside."

"About how many of those demons did you summon, Jon?" Violet asked rhetorically. "Wait, can I call you Jon? It's nice and short like your life."

"You can't kill me," Jonathan responded.

"And why the in the Angel's name would you come to _that_ conclusion?"

"Because I'm not done here."

As quick as before, Jonathan was away from Asher and out the door. Valentine was up, too. Narrowly avoiding the sword, he ran to retrieve a weapon. Quickly, with great precision that no rune could provide, Finn began shooting arrows at the demons that had entered the room, each of them falling one by one.

"Dad! Look out!" Asher shouted.

Dmitri turned around to find a demon directly behind him. Before he could raise his sword, the demon had struck, killing him instantly.

It felt as if the world had stopped. She couldn't believe it.

"Dad?" Violet choked out, even though she knew there would be no response. Audrey and Finn were still trying to keep the demons away, but Violet just stood there. She looked at Asher, but he just looked pale, avoiding her gaze. Violet ran towards Valentine, seraph blade in hand.

"Violet, no!" shouted Audrey as she killed a demon approaching Asher.

Violet went for the attack just as Valentine turned around. Dodging her weapon, Valentine lost his balance, falling out of the window behind him. Violet already knew he would survive the fall; the third floor wasn't high enough off the ground to kill him.

"And by the way, don't call me 'little girl'," Violet said finally.

Killing a demon blocking his way, Finn made his way over to Violet. He touched her arm lightly with one hand, pointing towards the door with his other. "Violet, we have to go," he said gently. "We can't hold them off anymore."

Nodding her head, she started towards the door, the others following.


	13. Chapter 12

**_Chapter 12_**

"Violet," Audrey said quietly, standing in the doorway.

It was the day of the funeral. Violet couldn't help but think back to a few months ago when she was in the same situation. Asher had gone to watch the body of his father burn, wearing white, the color all Shadowhunters wore to grieve. Violet had refused to join him.

"Leave me alone," Violet snapped.

"Violet, you can't hide in your bed forever! You need to get out. I know that you're hurting right now, but-"

"Save it," Violet replied. "Look, no offense, Aud, but I really don't want to talk to anyone right now. You guys can stop trying."

Audrey was silent for a while.

"I'm really sorry, you know. I just wanted you to know that. I'm really worried about you, Vi. Hang in there." With that, Audrey walked out of Violet's room. Not very long after, another person entered the room.

"Go _away_ ," Violet moaned.

" _Violet_ ," Finn pleaded in a way that she couldn't ignore.

Lifting her head, she found his hazel eyes staring into hers. Her eyes were irritated; she had been crying.

"Violet, _please,_ " Finn whispered.

Violet made room on the bed for Finn and he stretched out next to her. Turning to face her, he reached a hand up to push her dark hair out of her face. Her violet eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

"I am so sorry, Violet," he said, still whispering.

Violet looked into his eyes again and tried to read his expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Violet asked slowly.

"Like what?" A raised eyebrow.

"Like…like your new cat hates you and you don't know why."

"You know, Violet, I really don't think now's a good time. But just know, I'm always here for you. No matter what."

"Please tell me," she said quietly.

Before he could think about what he was saying, Finn suddenly blurted, "I like-like you."

Blushing furiously, Finn broke his eye contact, looking at the wall behind her.

"Like-like? Seriously?"

Finn said nothing.

"I like-like you, too, nerd."

Finn looked up, not believing his ears. "Are-are you serious?"

For the first time in days, Violet smiled. She slowly took his Finn's hand, their fingers interlocked. "Yeah, I am."

Asher watched from a few feet away as the flames rose and smoke filled the air. He'd thought about all the times he'd taken his father for granted; he wished more than ever that he could just tell his father how much he appreciated him. The worst part was that he couldn't even remember the last thing he said to his father before he had disappeared. Would he be able to take care of his sister on his own? Sure, he was legally an adult, but was he ready to do it all on his own? It was all too much.

A man scooped the flame's ashes into a small box.

"Thank you," Asher said as the man gave him the box.

Then he walked away.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Violet, I should tell you something," Finn said, lying in the grass next to her in the park one day. "I think you should know."

"What is it?" she asked, afraid of what she was about to hear.

"Back when we were at Renwick's, I had split away from Audrey and Asher and I came across this room. It was filled with these weapons. But they had been altered. Not our usual adamas-made ones. The runes were…different. They belong to Valentine. It's his room. But the intriguing part was what I found in his desk drawer. Inside was…a box."

"A box?" Violet asked.

"Um, yeah. It was filled with these…notes. On Seb-Jonathan. Valentine is responsible for his ability to control the demons. I think Valentine is planning something. Something really bad. I don't exactly know what it is, but it has to do with the Mortal Instruments. He's starting with the Cup."

"What will he be able to do with them?"

"I'm not sure. Summon the Angel, maybe? But that's the thing. No one has been able to collect the three objects since Jonathan Shadowhunter. They're not together, so they're difficult to find. But he sounds pretty determined, so whatever he wants with them, it might not be good."

"How long have you known about Jonathan?" Violet asked suddenly.

"What?" Finn asked, startled by the question.

"How long have you known that he…wasn't _Team Good_."

Finn looked up at the sky, thoughtfully. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a metal device, covered entirely with delicate runes, showing it to Violet.

"My Sensor," Finn said, "has been acting all out of whack ever since he showed

up. I felt it in my pocket when he came up to us that day in the park. I thought that maybe there was a demon nearby, so I went away to check it out. I never imagined that he would have anything to do with it. That demon attack in front of your apartment…it didn't do anything. I had no idea there were any demons nearby. I couldn't figure it out. I was on my way to your apartment when I saw them and came to help. Then they just left. But there was still a dull pulsing in the metal. That was when I became suspicious. I had thought about all the possibilities, but I knew we couldn't trust him after that. I knew he had something to do with all of the weird stuff going on."

"Finn…" Violet didn't know what to say. She didn't have to say anything. Finn reached into his pocket again and slipped a folded sheet of paper into her hands.

"I took this from the box. You should read it when you're alone.

Violet nodded her head and Finn wrapped his arm around her as the two of them stared into the sky.


	15. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

"Audrey, I don't think you need to-"

"No! Let me help you. This is _extremely_ important, Vi. You can't just wear _anything_."

"What's wrong with the stuff I usually wear?" Violet asked defensively.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Then why did you have to buy me a new outfit? Just look at it! Later, I'll go write my phone number on a bathroom wall…"

"Easy, there. I didn't buy it. This came from my closet."

Violet sighed, knowing she'd lost the argument to Audrey, as usual. After changing into her outfit, despite the effort it took not to cringe at how much she looked like Audrey, Violet let her best friend work on her hair. After a moment of silence, it was Violet who spoke first.

"Are you sure you're okay with this? Me going out with your brother? Doesn't it make you, I don't know, wanna vomit up the latte you had earlier?"

To Violet's surprise, Audrey grinned a true Audrey grin. It was one of the things that Violet had always envied about her friend. She'd always had a great smile.

"I always knew you guys would end up together," Audrey said simply. "I've known it for years. Honestly, I thought it would've happened sooner."

"But I'm your best friend," Violet argued. "And this is your _brother_. I'd be completely grossed out if I ever saw you and Ash together in that way."

Violet saw in the reflection that behind her, Audrey was blushing slightly.

"Oh, God, Audrey, what aren't you telling me?"

"What makes you think I'm not telling you something?" Audrey asked, still blushing.

"Because your face is redder than the cherry lip gloss you applied to my face."

"Hey! Finn likes cherry. You're welcome."

"Gross, Audrey. And what did you do? Or not do. Do I even wanna know? Wait-no, of course I wanna know. Just _tell me._ "

"It's a funny story, actually," Audrey said as she curled a strand of Violet's long, dark hair.

"Audrey…"

"Alright, alright. A few weeks ago, you and Finn were helplessly flirting with each other, and I mean _helplessly_. It was the most pathetic thing I've seen since we gave you that surprise party last year and you thought Finn was the piñata. You bruised the poor kid pretty badly…"

"Remember when this story had a purpose?"

"Right! Anyway, so Asher and I were talking about how you guys are dorks or whatever and I kissed him," Audrey finished, giggling.

" _Why?_ " Violet asked, not believing her ears.

"Well, see, I was having trouble figuring out whether I was attracted to him or not. So I just kissed him. I wanted to know."

"And?"

"Nope," said Audrey, sadly. "I was expecting to feel something, but I didn't feel a single thing."

"Good," Violet said. "Because that would've been too weird. Me dating your brother, you dating mine…"

"Okay, no, now I might _actually_ throw up my latte."

The girls laughed and Violet looked at her reflection as Audrey put the finishing touches on her look.

"Wait," Violet said, suddenly, darting into the bathroom. Quickly, she removed the cherry lip gloss that Audrey had so carefully put on.

"No!" Audrey shrieked.

"Hang on a second."

Carefully, Violet applied a lipstick, the color of a lavender flower.

"Wow," Audrey said, admiring her friend's work. "It really brings out your eyes. Okay, that is _way_ better than the cherry lip gloss. Finn will think you're beautiful either way, though."

"Shut up, Audrey," Violet said, blushing.

Walking out of the room in a short, but thankfully, loose-fitting black dress, a leather jacket, and the heelless black boots she had begged Audrey to let her wear, she saw Finn sitting on the edge of the couch, waiting for her. Finn couldn't help but stare as Violet started walking towards him. She was so _beautiful_. He felt so lucky to just know this girl. Finn stood up at met Violet halfway, taking her hand. Violet looked into his hazel eyes and he stared back into her violet ones.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, shyly this time.

Finn smiled.

"Because…I like-like you," he answered.

Violet couldn't help smiling hugely.

"Nerd," she said, but for the first time, he knew that she felt the same way about him.

"I agree with Violet," Asher said from behind the counter, munching on a bagel.

Asher had been feeling better lately, mostly after he realized that he really wasn't alone. He had his friends to count on. They were here for him just as he for them.

Violet and Finn said their goodbyes to their best friends and walked out of the apartment and into Finn's car.

Violet laughed out loud.

"What?" Finn asked innocently, taking out a blanket and spreading it onto the grass.

"I knew we would end up at the park. We _always_ come to the park."

"I took you out to dinner! I figured that we could look at the sky like we always do…" Finn was blushing.

Violet laughed at his discomfort. She traveled to her routine spot in the grass, next to Finn, shoulder to shoulder.

"We're on a date," Violet said quietly.

"It's only a date if you call it one," Finn pointed out. "It doesn't have to be that different. We're just two teenagers lying under the stars."

Violet turned to face Finn. He mirrored her. Finn reached up to touch her hair.

"You're really beautiful, Vi," he said softly.

Violet smiled. "You know, I didn't think I'd ever hear you say that."

"Well, now, I'm yours…if you want me to be," said Finn, still absentmindedly playing with her hair.

Using the last of the courage he thought he'd have for a while, Finn leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, fingers still running through her hair. Clearly surprised, Violet gasped and jerked back, breaking off the kiss. Embarrassed, Finn quickly apologized.

"Sorry, I, um, didn't mean to-"

Before he could finish, Violet kissed him back, a touch of the lips. As he kissed her gently, Finn began to chuckle. He was so lucky, he really was. Ending with a soft kiss on her forehead, Finn pulled Violet closer to him. Lying shoulder to shoulder once again, Violet rested her head on her best friend and Finn did the same. Together, the two teenagers watched the stars together.

Violet came back into the apartment and smiled at the sight of her brother sleeping on the couch. Carefully slipping into her room, she changed out of her dress and into a t-shirt and cotton pajama shorts. Climbing into her bed, she took out a box with items belonging to her parents. She took out the note Finn gave her and read it for what was probably the fifth time:

Madeleine Bellefleur,

Words cannot express how thankful I am for your help. He is planning something horrible, I know it. He will come for me once he realizes I am no longer loyal to the Circle. By the time you read this, Madeleine, I will be long gone from Idris. Do not try to find me; in time I will be revealed. Until then, forget about me. It is for the best. You don't need to be in the danger I've gotten myself into.

-Jocelyn

Putting the note away carefully, Violet heard her phone buzz from the edge of her bed. She already knew whose voice she would hear when she answered.

" _Okay, my parents are asleep right now, so I have to stay calm,"_ Audrey whispered _. "Finn just came in the house smiling like a lovestruck idiot and I need you to tell me everything that happened on that date."_

 ** _(A/N)-Thank you so much for tolerating how long it's taken me to finish the story. I can now confirm that this story is completely finished. I really hope you enjoyed it. I've been working on it for several months and I'm glad to say that it's finally over. I have plenty of documents saved (some of them original stories-check out ghiblititans on fictionpress). I can't wait to release some new stories in the future! xoxo_**


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